SAN DIEGO THEME PARKS
San Diego, CA
SeaWorld San Diego
DESCRIPTION: Founded in 1964 by four graduates of UCLA who originally considered building an underwater restaurant; instead Shamu the killer whale set them on the journey to attracting millions of fans ; today it has gown to one of the world's premier marine adventure parks with 200 acres of world-class shows, thrilling water rides unforgettable animal encounters and emulation by other parks worldwide; aside from Shamu, park shows include Dolphin Discovery where you can pet dolphins, Ignight where dolphins perform amazing acrobatics to music in a nighttime show, Clyde and Seamores Risky Rescue and Sea Lions Tonight with real animal actors, Riptide - a kind of SeaWorld meets X-Games, Cirque de la Mer - an electrifying combination of mysterious creatures, acrobatics, special effects set to music; smaller kids reallly love Pets Rule with an surprising cast of animals performing tricks and Sesame Street Presents; standard well-loved rides include Journey To Atlantis, Shipwreck Rapids and Wild Arctic Ride, Bayside Skyride, Elmo's Flying Fish and more; a Skytower ride cost extra, but you can purchase a combo ticket and Shamu's SkySplash nightly fireworks are free; most thrill rides have a 42" height requirement; you can also arrange exclusiive animal interactions, park tours and adventure camps
ADMISSION: $61 ages 10+, $51 ages 3-9, ages 2 and under enter free
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Fri 10a-6p, Sat-Sun 10a-7:30p; longer summer hours
ADDRESS: 500 SeaWorld Drive MAP
PARKING: $12 cars, $17 RVs and Preffered parking
PHONE: 800-380-3203
WEBSITE: http://www.seaworld.com/seaworld/ca
Chula Vista, CA
Knotts Soak City San Diego
DESCRIPTION: where San Diegans go, beside the beach, when its hot; water rides include Pacific Spin 4 person raft ride, La Jolla Falls of 4 high-speed slides, Palisades Plunge of 3 tube slides plus the Cyclone, Tornado and Typhoon tube slides, and Beach Blaster, Green Room, Point Break, Riptide, Silver Strand and Surf Advisory body slides; if you just want to relax with the family, there's Balboa Bay wave pool and Sunset River lazy river ride, Disk's Beach House and the Tykes Trough; All Day Locker rentals cost $7 (small), $8 (medium), and $9.00 (large); private cabanas may be reserved as well
ADMISSION: $30 adults, $20 ages 3-11 and 62+, ages 2 and under enter free
DAYS & HOURS: 9a–7p; park closed in winter months
ADDRESS: 2052 Entertainment Circle MAP
PARKING: $10
PHONE: 619-661-7373
WEBSITE: http://www.knotts.com/soakcity/SD
Carlsbad, CA
LEGOLAND Theme Park & Water Park
DESCRIPTION: In the 1930s, Ole Kirk Christiansen started making wooden toys in in Billund, Denmark and named his toys and workshop, “LEGO”, a contraction of the Danish words “leg godt”, meaning “play well”; in 1949 the forerunner to the LEGO brick was introduced; in 1968, LEGOLAND Billund opened a theme park with all buildings, landscapes and vehicles built using LEGO bricks – the legend started; recently LEGOLAND California was the Best Children’s Park for the fifth year in a row by Amusement Today trade magazine; its stunningly beautiful on a 128-acre theme park geared ages 2-12 with over 50 family rides, "hands-on" attractions and shows; bring a change of clothes for the kids, since some attractions involve water; admission fee is competitive with major theme parks and the unique miniature cityscapes made of LEGOs alone are worth the visit; LEGOLAND Water Park opened in 2010 to great appluase from every 1-10 year old; one of a kind Build-A-Raft River, Orange Rush, Splash Out, Twin Chasers, Splash Safari, and Kid Creek are the main attractions; on hot days parents will appreciate Eleven 10'x10' cabanas are available for rent
ADMISSION: $80 ages 13-59, $65 ages 3-12 and 60+
DAYS & HOURS: daily 10a-5p, but some weekends open longer
ADDRESS: One LEGOLAND Drive MAP
PARKING: $10
PHONE: 760-918-5346
WEBSITE: http://www.legoland.com/california.htm
SEA LIFE LEGOLAND California
DESCRIPTION: A two-story, 36,000 sq. ft. aquarium will feature play zones, fun facts, quiz trails and marine exhibits designed to educate children about life under the sea; features include a seahorse kingdom, a 360 degree ring of sting rays and fish and an interactive tide pool; the signature attraction will be the Lost City of Atlantis aquarium recreation; this 175,000-gallon ocean display will feature a 10 foot statue of Poseidon, a seven foot LEGO submarine and more than 72 LEGO models among the numerous fish and sharks roaming the waters; requires a separate park admission from LEGOLAND California
ADMISSION: $19 ages 13-59, $16 ages 60+, $12 ages 3-12, age 2 and under free
DAYS & HOURS: daily 10a-5p, longer hours April-August
ADDRESS: One Legoland Drive MAP
PARKING: $10, shared parking with LEGOLAND
PHONE: 760-918-LEGO
WEBSITE: http://www.legoland.com/sealife
BLACK CULTURAL TRAVEL MADE EASY